Japanese Textbooks

After a summer filled with protests by historians, human-rights
groups, and high-level officials from neighboring countries, educators
in Japan appear to have shunned controversial history textbooks for
middle school students.

All but 10 of the country's 542 public school districts have said
they will not use the textbooks that critics say gloss over Japan's
military aggression before and during World War II. ("Foreign Exchange," May 9,
2001.)

The books, for example, omit information about Japanese soldiers'
violence against Korean and Chinese women during the war.

The Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform produced one of the
textbooks in question because of the "self-deprecating" tone of current
Japanese history texts, according to a statement from the
organization.

Government officials from South Korea and China have sent angry
communications to the Japanese government over the past several months,
saying the decision to approve the texts for use in public schools was
a threat to diplomatic relations.

Japanese officials reviewed the texts and ordered some changes, but
refused to rescind their approval.

Several private schools and at least three public ones for students
with disabilities are planning to use the books.

The authors have also come under attack. Last month, an office in
Tokyo, where one worked, was damaged by fire. Police told local
newspapers they suspected arson.

Meanwhile, South Korea's textbooks are also coming under scrutiny
from historians and educators for glossing over the brutality committed
by its own military, and for enhancing the image of the right-wing
government.

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